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NATURAL REMEDIES FOR PROBLEMS IN BREASTFEEDING
PART 2
~Susun S Weed
With the resurgence of interest in breastfeeding, there is increasing
demand for natural remedies for the minor problems that accompany nursing.
These remedies, taken from my book Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing
Year, offer simple, safe ways for nursing women and their infants to
counter problems and stay healthy. This information has been collected
from wise women, old wives, and granny midwives. May you benefit from
their wisdom.
Part one of this article reviewed ways to increase your milk flow and
your milk quality by ingesting herbal infusions, tinctures, seeds, and
foods rich in carotenes. Part two of this article shows you numerous
simple and safe ways to allay sore breasts, infections, engorgements,
and sore nipples due to breastfeeding.
PAINFUL BREASTS, ENGORGEMENT, SORE NIPPLES
Painful, sore breasts and nipples are one of the most common problems
encountered during lactation. Virtually every nursing mom will need
help on this account at least once. Sore breasts and nipples can prevent
nursing, lead to a decrease in milk production, and interfere with the
bonding between infant and mother.
There are three main causes of painful breasts.
1. Engorgement
An oversupply of milk engorges the breast tissues, causing tenderness
and pain. There is no fever and the breasts are not lumpy. Engorgement
may occur as a result of a decision not to milk, when milk comes in
very quickly, when mother and child are separated for an extended time,
or during weaning.
Remedy A very strong tea of sage is a classic remedy for stopping the
flow of milk. It is taken sip by sip, up to three cups a day.
2. A blocked milk tube or duct
This causes swelling of the breast and acute pain. The blocked duct
may feel lumpy and bruised, and a red streak may radiate out from it.
Cessation of nursing can increase the discomfort and endanger the milk
supply. Nursing should be continued, but carefully, nursing and pumping
just enough to empty the breast.
Remedy Right before nursing, use a warm compress for 5 - 10 minutes
(see following). They all taste fine to baby, so no need to wash your
breast before offering it.
3. Mastitis (infection in the breast)
Causes swelling and pain, accompanied by acute tenderness and redness
of the breast. The infected breast may be hard, lumpy and swollen. There
may be fever as well. This condition is the most dangerous of the three.
If not treated promptly, the infection can cause scarring of the ducts
and prevent nursing a later child.
REMEDIES FOR MASTITIS
Use hot compresses or soaks at least four times daily. Get plenty of
bed rest. Breast infections are almost always a sign of too little rest.
Regular naps or rest breaks are important too.
Nurse as often and as long as possible on the infected breast. A breast
infection will not make the infant sick.
Propolis is collected and used by bees as glue. It has a history of
use against infection in Russia and a strong following among midwives
in North America. It is said to accelerate healing time by increasing
the body's metabolism and general resistance to disease. A dose of the
tincture is 10 to 15 drops twice a day.
Echinacea root tincture is an excellent ally for any woman with mastitis.
I use one-half drop per pound of body weight as a single dose. (For
a woman who weighs 130 pounds, the dose is 65 drops or two dropperfuls.)
The dose is repeated as often as twelve times a day until symptoms remiss.
I continue taking Echinacea for at least a week after all symptoms have
cleared.
Poke root (Phytolacca americana) tincture stimulates lymph gland activity
and clears mastitis quickly. Poke root is potent and potentially toxic;
the effect is cumulative. Use no more than two drops of the tincture
daily. I combine poke with Echinacea for acute and severe infections.
POULTICES AND SOAKS FOR SORE BREASTS
Poultices, compresses and soaks are the best first aid for painful
breasts. A poultice consists of fresh or cooked herbs placed directly
on the breasts. A compress is prepared by soaking a cloth and applying
that. And a soak is just that: - a soak in hot water.
Hot water alone has beneficial effects for women dealing with sore
breasts, no matter what the cause. Hot water stimulates circulation
and eases the tension in taut, swollen, breast tissues. Herbs infused
in the water used to compress or soak increase the effectiveness.
When applying these external remedies, remember that frequent, consistent,
short applications work better than sporadic, lengthy treatments. That
is, six or seven treatments of five minutes each spread over the day
will be more effective than one treatment lasting for thirty minutes.
If infection is present, discard any plant material and wash the poultice
materials after each use so as to prevent the spread of the infection.
Soak the breasts in a sink full of warm water. Fill the sink, lean
over, and immerse one or both breasts. You can massage the milk out
while soaking to further relieve engorgement and ease pain.
Place a handful of fresh or dried parsley leaves in a clean cotton
diaper and tie it closed with a rubber band. Put in a pan of water and
simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Apply the hot (fresh) parsley as a poultice
or use the (dried) herb still tied in the diaper as a compress to ease
swollen and painful breasts.
Prepare fresh or dried comfrey leaves the same way as parsley. A hot
compress or poultice of comfrey leaves soothes sore nipples, softens
engorged tissues, reduces the pain of swollen breasts, and helps unblock
tubes and ducts. It is generally considered safe to use comfrey root
preparations externally, but nursing mothers may be understandably leery
to use them for fear of injuring her infant's liver.
A cold poultice of grated raw potato can draw out the heat of inflammation,
localize infection and unblock clogged tubes. Grated raw potato is applied
directly to the breasts, and covered with a clean cloth. When dry, it
is removed and replaced with fresh grated potato.
Marshmallow roots make wonderful soaks that soothe tender tissues and
sore nipples, open clogged ducts and tubes, powerfully draw out infection,
and diminish the pain of engorged, inflamed breasts. Steep two ounces
of dried marshmallow root overnight in half a gallon of water just off
the boil. The texture of the finished brew should be slippery and slimy.
Heat as needed, pouring the hot liquid into a sink or basin and soak
your sore and aching breasts.
Infused herbal oils - such as those made from the flowers of calendula,
elder, or dandelion, or from the roots of yellow dock - can ease the
pain of tender breasts and sore nipples. Buy them ready-made. Or make
them yourself: Gently warm a handful of dried or fresh blossoms in just
enough olive oil to cover; keep warm for 20 minutes. Strain, cool, and
rub into nipples and breasts whenever there is pain or sensitivity.
PREVENTING SORE NIPPLES
Sore nipples heal rapidly, often within a day or two, but it is still
easier to prevent them than to heal them. Nipple sprays intended to
prevent sore nipples have been shown to be ineffective, but the following
Wise Woman remedies are safe and effective. Note: Persistently or suddenly
sore nipples may indicate a thrush infection. Further symptoms of thrush
include pink, flaky skin and itchy nipples.
~ Continue to nurse. Neither sore nipples nor thrush are helped by
discontinuing nursing; in fact, they may be remedied by more frequent
nursing.
~ Expose the nipples and breasts to the air as much as possible to
discourage the growth of thrush. Avoid wearing a bra 24 hours a day.
Wear nursing bras with the flaps down whenever possible.
~ Expose the nipples and breasts to sunlight for brief periods to strengthen
tissues. Increase gradually from thirty seconds in the sun to a maximum
of three minutes.
~ Olive oil, sweet almond oil, lanolin, or comfrey ointment rubbed
into the nipples throughout the latter part of the pregnancy and the
beginning weeks of nursing create healthy, flexible tissues very resistant
to cracks, tears, and chapping.
~ Experiment with different nursing positions until you find those
in which you are completely comfortable, with the entire areola (dark
area) in the baby's mouth, nipple centered.
~ Offer your breast often. Reducing the number of feedings can make
the baby so hungry that it tears at the breast.
~ Avoid soap, cologne, deodorant and powder on your nipples or breasts.
Do not wash nipples with soap. Soap predisposes the nipples to chapping
and cracking.
REMEDIES FOR SORE NIPPLES
~ Crushed ice wrapped in a wet cloth, or a frozen gauze pad, applied
to the nipples immediately before nursing is a good local pain killer.
This cold treatment also helps bring out soft or small nipples and helps
baby feed more easily when the breasts are very full.
~ Comfrey ointment softens and strengthens nipples at the same time.
It is exceptionally soothing to sensitive nipples and rapidly heals
any fissures or bruises.
~ Yarrow leaf poultices - or yarrow infused oil - provide almost instantaneous
pain relief and heal cracked nipples rapidly.
~ Any of the poultices described for painful breasts may be used advantageously.
Comfrey and marshmallow are especially effective. Many brief poultices
work better than one or two lengthy sessions.
~
The gel from a fresh aloe vera leaf will soothe and heal sore and cracked
nipples.
~ Calendula ointment is an old favorite to heal and strengthen nipples.
CAUTION: Ointments containing antibiotics, steroids and anesthetic (painkilling)
drugs are potentially harmful to both mother and infant.
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
The Complete Book of Breastfeeding, Sally Olds and Marvin Eiger; 1972
Bantam Books
Nursing Your Baby, Karen Pryor; 1973, Simon and Schuster
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, La Leche League, 1963.
Breastfeeding Basics, Cecelia Worth; 1983 McGraw Hill
La Leche League, 9616 Minneapolis Ave., Franklin Park, IL 60131
Aftercare: Sharon Hamilton; Babies Grow on Milk and Kisses; Arny Galblum
Booklets available from Emma Goldman Clinic for Women, 715 Dodge Street,
Iowa Cily, IA 52240
The Way of Herbs, Michael Tierra; Unity Press
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Susun Weed’s books include: |
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Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year
Author: Susun S. Weed. Simple, safe remedies for pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and newborns.
Includes herbs for fertility and birth control. Foreword by Jeannine Parvati Baker. 196 pages, index, illustrations.
Retails for $17.95
Order at: www.wisewomanbookshop.com
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Healing
Wise
Author: Susun S. Weed. Superb herbal in the feminine-intuitive mode. Complete instructions for using
common plants for food, beauty, medicine, and longevity. Introduction by Jean Houston. 312 pages, index, illustrations.
Retails for $24.95
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NEW Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way
Author: Susun S. Weed. The best book on menopause is now better. Completely revised with 100 new
pages. All the remedies women know and trust plus hundreds of new ones. New sections on thyroid health,
fibromyalgia, hairy problems, male menopause, and herbs for women taking hormones. Recommended by
Susan Love MD and Christiane Northrup MD. Introduction by Juliette de Bairacli Levy. 304 pages, index, illustrations.
Retails for $27.95
Order at: www.wisewomanbookshop.com
For excerpts visit: www.menopause-metamorphosis.com
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Breast Cancer? Breast Health!
Author: Susun S. Weed. Foods, exercises, and attitudes to keep your breasts healthy. Supportive
complimentary medicines to ease side-effects of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or tamoxifen. Foreword by
Christiane Northrup, M.D. 380 pages, index, illustrations. Retails for $21.95
Order at: www.wisewomanbookshop.com
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Down There: Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman
Way
Publication date: June 21, 2011
Author: Susun S. Weed
Simple, successful, strategies cover the entire range of options -- from mainstream to radical -- to help you
choose the best, and the safest, ways to optimize sexual and reproductive health.
Foreword: Aviva Romm, MD, midwife, 484 pages, Index, illustrations. Retails for $29.95
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Abundantly Well - Seven Medicines
The Complementary Integrated Medical
Revolution
Publication date: December 2019
Author: Susun S. Weed
Seven Medicines build foundational health and guide you to the best health care when problems arise.
Includes case studies, recipes, exentsive references and resources. Introduction by Patch Adams illustrated by Durga
Yael Bernhard 352 pages, index, illustrations Retails for $24.95
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Susun
Weed, green witch and wise woman, is an extraordinary teacher with
a joyous spirit, a powerful presence, and an encyclopedic knowledge
of herbs and health. She is the voice of the Wise Woman Way, where common
weeds, simple ceremony, and compassionate listening support and nourish
health/wholeness/holiness. She has opened hearts to the magic and medicine
of the green nations for three decades. Ms. Weed's six herbal medicine
books focus on women's health topics including: menopause, childbearing,
and breast health. Visit her site www.susunweed.com for information on her workshops, apprenticeships, correspondence courses
and more! Venture into the
Menopause site www.menopause-metamorphosis.com to learn all about the Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way. Join Susuns Mentorship site for personal one on one mentorship!
We also invite you to visit our commerce site www.wisewomanbookshop.com to learn about our Wise Woman publications, workshops, correspondence courses. As well as online courses at Wise Woman School.
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